Sickness and Health: Alternative Medicine for Young Children

What is “alternative medicine?” It is an umbrella term for a wide variety of healing practices, treatments, and remedies that are not part of conventional medicine.

What are examples of alternative medicine? Natural herbal products and supplements, meditation, chiropractic care, acupuncture, homeopathy, etc.

Are natural herbs and supplements safe? Not always. Herbal products and not fully regulated by the FDA. There is no guarantee of the product strength, ingredients, or possible contamination.

Are folk remedies safe? Not always. For example, Azarcon, a powder used in many Hispanic cultures to treat diarrhea, contains lead.

Safety First: Child Personal Safety Issues

What information should be included on the daily sign-in log? Date, time of arrival, child’s name, signature of person who brought the child.

Who should be allowed to take a child from childcare? Only the parent/guardian or an adult who has been authorized in writing. Picture identification should be required.

What should caregivers do if the person to pick up appears impaired? Never release a child to a person who appears to be under-the-influence or in other ways deemed unable to adequately care for the child. Contact the parent or guardian immediately, and contact law enforcement if necessary.

What should caregivers teach children? Each child should know his or her full name, address, and parent’s name(s).

Nutrition Action: Young Children and Thirst

What are symptoms of dehydration? Thirst, dry mouth, rough dry skin, weight loss, weakness, light headedness, lack of energy, dark kurine or decreatsed urination.

Do children recognize thirst? Most children do not. You have to teach them to recognized dry mouth and thirst.

How much fluid do children need? There is no set recommendation. It depends upon their size, where they live, what they eat, and how active they are.

What is the best fluid for thirst and hydration? Water.

Medicine Chest: Language Primer for One-Year-Olds

When to babies start talking? Some do not utter their first word until 12 months. Babies start talking during the second year, but speech varies greatly.

Should I worry about a “late talkers”? Probably not. Some children say nothing for a long time, and may then begin speaking complete sentences.

How can I help babies learn to talk? Speak clearly in short sentences. Offer choices that encourage answers. Use gestures with your own words.

When should I see an evaluation? If a child does not babble at all by 12 months; seems to get stuck getting a word out; does not have at least a few words by 18 months; does not respond to loud noises (of which that he cannot see the cause).

Health & You: High Blood Pressure

How many American adult have high blood pressure? One in three adults.

What is blood pressure? It is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries.

What is normal blood pressure reading? A reading below 120/80 is normal. A reading between 120/80 and 139/89 is pre-hypertension. A reading of 140/90 is hypertension (high blood pressure).

What are some risk factors? Overweight or obesity; male; woman over age 55; diabetes; family history of hypertension; have pre-hypertension; tobacco use; unmanaged stress and anger; etc.